Ferronauts

The S'aue Empire is a relatively new player on the global stage of Nascindor but, owing to their significantly more advanced technological capabilities when compared with humans and the arachnitha, they have established themselves as a power to be reckoned with.
  A significant part of this power is the armed forces of the empire, which consist of privately funded mercenary companies that are collectively referred to as ferronauts.
 

Organization

It is difficult to pin down any exact numbers on any given company of ferronauts, as they vary wildly in size, veterancy and equipment quality.
  It is perhaps best to regard these privately contracted groups as one would sports teams. There is a core unit that ranges from a few individuals to perhaps a few hundred at most, which commits to all of the field work and actual fighting, while there could be any number of supporting members ranging from high-ranking S'aue politicians and aristocrats to bartenders and smugglers and everything in-between.
  The comparison to sports teams is even more apt due to the fact that these ferronaut companies do take part in competitive arena combat, complete with big-name stars beefing in and outside the arena. It is not surprising that the S'aue, who are known for their business-oriented outlooks, would commercialize even their warriors in such a fashion.
 

Equipment

Like all S'aue, ferronauts chassis' are made of various metals, but the key difference is found in materials. Whereas the average S'aue citizen is comprised of brass, copper and bronze, a ferronauts chassis is typically forged from iron or steel, both of which are more durable than the softer metals reserved for citizenry.
  Likewise, true to their mechanical nature, most ferronaut chassis' are entirely modular and often incorporate elements such as collapsible wrist-mounted shields, hydraulic joints that make it possible to lift weight in excess of a ton and spring-loaded ankles for leaping incredibly high, to name just a few. The sky's the limit on what any given ferronaut chooses to do with their chassis.   A ferronaut will usually carry with them a stake driver, a personal weapon that could be likened to a crossbow, except it fires its projectiles at a much higher velocity and requires only a brief turn of a crank to reload.
  Recently, some ferronaut companies working for the Iron Cartel have gotten their hands on the prototypes of Corius Sprocket's pressure lancers, which have quickly proven themselves to be far superior weapons than anything that has come before.
  The lancers are so effective, in fact, that they have been banned in the arenas due to the unfair advantage they offer, at least until they cement their position as the de-facto weapon of ferronaut companies.
 

Contractors

As most ferronaut companies are independent agents, meaning that they are not directly on the payroll of the Board of Directors, they can be hired by anyone with the capital to pay their fees.
  Such a business model is ripe for corruption, and it is not unusual for a group of ferronauts to be contracted by businesses to rough up competitors or destroy their property. In this way, the ferronauts could be considered the next step of the enforcers, and it is common that those in the profession eventually join a ferronaut group in hopes of bigger payouts.